News Headlines - 23 June 2020

▽In midst of pandemic, East Africa braces for another locust invasion

East Africa is bracing for a third outbreak of desert locusts, with billions of the destructive insects about to hatch and threaten food supplies in a region already reeling from damaging rains and the coronavirus pandemic.
Spurred by favorable weather conditions, the migratory pests have descended on East Africa in record numbers since late 2019 and another wave is about to take to the skies despite the concerted use of pesticides.

▽S. Korea demands removal of Japanese sites from World Heritage list

South Korea has formally requested that a U.N. agency remove historical sites related to Japan's industrial revolution from its World Heritage site list, the country's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The ministry said the request was made in a letter sent Monday to UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay in the name of South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha.

▽Japan PM Abe skips visit to Russia for WWII parade next week - The Mainichi

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not visit Moscow next week to attend a parade commemorating the 75th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, a government official said Friday.
Abe was invited to the parade, originally scheduled for May 9, before it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He had also been slated to hold a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the trip.
Russia has been notified that Abe will skip the rescheduled parade next Wednesday to focus on responding to the virus outbreak in Japan, Hideki Uyama, deputy director general of the Foreign Ministry's European Affairs Bureau, told an upper house committee.

▽German coronavirus reproduction rate 'R' at 2.76 - RKI - Reuters

The coronavirus reproduction rate in Germany is currently estimated at 2.76, probably mainly due to local outbreaks, the head of the Robert Koch Institute for public health, Lothar Wieler, said on Tuesday.

▽Man City vs Burnley: Plane pulling ‘white lives matter’ banner flies above stadium | The Independent

Burnley are “ashamed and embarrassed” after a plane towing a banner reading “White Lives Matter” flew over the Etihad Stadium during the club’s match against Manchester City on Monday evening.
The aircraft was seen above the stadium just minutes after players and match officials took a knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. It then continued to circle overhead as the game began, with the sound of its engine audible on Sky Sports’ live broadcast.